Memoirs from the life of Imam Ahmad
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Memoirs from the life of Imam Ahmad
by Muhammad Al-Shareef

In an interesting book, Wadaa’ ar-Rasul li ‘Ummatihi, Shaykh Al-Qahtaanirecalls the final words that Rasul Allah said on his deathbed.

After living a life of Jihad, Da’wah, and Ibaadah, Rasul Allah (SAAS)gathered the people around him on his deathbed and said, “I have left twothings that you shall not go astray after them so long as you stick to them:the Book of Allah and My Sunnah.”

After Rasul Allah (SAAS) moved onto Ar-Rafeeq al-‘Alaa, the Ummah was testedwith humans that tried to corrupt, discredit, or amputate the Sunnah fromIslam.

And from the depths of the Ummah’s men and women, Allah ta’ala - from Hismercy to the Ummah of Muhammad - raised up warriors that would stand in theface of the most vicious of the enemies of the Sunnah.

From those people that Allah ta’ala raised was a young boy named Ahmad.Ahmad lived in Baghdad over a thousand years ago. On those cold winterynights, his mother - the blessed Mu’minah that she was - would wake longbefore Fajr to warm the water for her son. Then - again long before Fajr -she would wake him to make Wudu, then she would wrap him in shawls and offthrough the molten dark alleys of Baghdad they would carefully make their wayto the Masjid.

There was no male to escort him (he was an orphan), so Ahmad’s mother wouldtake him that early so that he could get a good seat in the Hadith halaqahafter Fajr. Then she would wait for him long after the sun rose to safelyescort him back home. Her son grew up to be one of these warrior defendersof the Sunnah, one of the four Imams of this Deen, Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal.

In his collection, al-Musnad alone, he narrated from over 280 teachers.

He grew up under the shade of the Sunnah and he lived the Sunnah. It wasreported that he said, “I’ve never written a hadith that I did not try toimplement.”

And he raised his children like this too. When you see other fathersthrowing a baseball with their young Muslims that Allah entrusted them with,remember this example:

Abdullaah, Imam Ahmad’s son, taught his students that when he was young hisfather would play with him, “Take any chapter you wish from the Musannaf ofWakee’. Ask me any hadith and I’ll tell you the chain of narrators, or tellme any chain of narrators and I’ll tell you the hadith!”

He was challenged in his Deen like few other humans have been challenged.His name remains engraved in our admiration till today - across hundreds ofyears, across thousands of miles, across thousands of nations - because ofhis love for the Sunnah and his stand against those that would seek tocorrupt it.

Reading through his life, I came across an event that brought back sadmemories. How do you feel when your father is swore at in public. Imam Ahmadonce prayed Asr and he sat with his son in the Masjid alone with another manby the name of Muhammad ibn Sa’eed Al-Khuttalee. Al-Khuttalee then remarked,“Did you (O Ahmad) tell the people to boycott Zayd ibn Khalaf?” Imam Ahmadreplied, “I received a letter from his people asking about his affair, so Ireplied explaining his Madhhab and what he has innovated (in the Sunnah) andcommanded that they not sit with him..” Al-Khuttalee exploded in ImamAhmad’s face, red with anger, “I’m going to make sure you go back to prison.I’m going to have them crush your ribs…” The vulgarity grew louder andlouder. Imam Ahmad turned to his son, “Don’t reply to what he says anddon’t speak to him.”

Imam Ahmad took his sandals - al-Khuttaly swearing from behind his back -and told his son, “Tell the neighbors to not speak to him nor to reply him.” Imam Ahmad stepped away as Al-Khuttaly continued in the backround cursingand shouting profanity.

When the Khalifah al-Mu’tasim heard that Imam Ahmad had not agreed with himand his court Muftis on a specific issue, they brought him and questioned himin the courtyard of the Khalifah. They would debate with him and like agladiator with a spear he would hit back with bigger and stronger arguments.The Muftis would shout, “O khalifah, he has done Kufr!” Until theAl-Mu’tasim was convinced and in came the executioners.

They stripped Imam Ahmad and each of the strongest guards would take turnslashing Imam Ahmad until he fell unconscious. Regardless of his state, theycontinued the lashing. The sun went down that day and Imam Ahmad had notrelented in his faith. That day he became an icon for all followers ofSunnah.

Qutaybah said, “If you ever see someone that loves Imam Ahmad, know thatthey are a follower of the Sunnah.”

Al Hasan ibn Arafah narrated, “I visited Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal after he waswhipped and tortured. I said to him, “O Abu Abdillaaah, you have reached thestation of the Prophets!” He said, “Keep quiet. Verily, I saw nothing morethan people selling their Deen. And I saw scholars that were with me selltheir Faith.

So I said to myself, ‘Who am I, what am I. What am I going to say to Allahtomorrow when I stand in front of Him and He asks me, “Did you sell your Deenlike the others did?” So I looked at the whip and the sword and chose them.

And I said, “If I die I shall return to Allah and say: ‘I was told to saythat one of Your Characteristics was something created but I did not.’ Afterthat, it will be up to Him - either to punish me or forgive me.”

Al-Hasan ibn Arafah then asked, “Did you feel pain when they whipped you?”He said “Yes, I felt the pain up to 20 lashes then I lost all feeling (Theywhipped him over eighty times). After it was over I felt no pain and that dayI prayed Dhuhr standing.”

[In fact he prayed as the blood soiled his clothes.]

Al-Hasan ibn Arafah started weeping when he heard what had happened.

Imam Ahmad questioned him, “Why are you crying? I did not lose my Eeman.After that why should I care if I lose my life.”

Before - when Imam Ahmad was being led off to the Khalifah - people hadtried to dissuade him from a most certain execution. His student:Al-Marrudhee had told him, “O teacher, Allah says, [Do not killyourselves].” Imam Ahmad had replied, “O Marrudhee, go outside and tell mewhat you see.” Al-Marrudhee went to the wall of the Khalifahs court and sawan ocean of students with their pens and scrolls in their hands.

Al-Marrudhee asked some of them, “What are you waiting here for?” Theysaid, “We are waiting to see what Ahmad will say and then transcribe it.”Al-Marrudhee went back to Imam Ahmad and told him what he had seen.

“O Marrudhee,” he said, “what shall I gain by misguiding all thosepeople?”

Imam Ahmad lived a life of poverty. When others eat lavishly remember therewere days - as Abdurrazzaq recalls - that Imam Ahmad would make a mistake inSalah. When Abdurrazzaq inquired further he learnt that Imam Ahmad had noteaten for 3 days.

In this life of poverty, hardship and trials, Abdullah asked his father oneday, “Abi when will we ever relax?” His father, one of the greatestrevivers of the Sunnah, a role model for all Muslims, looked him in the eyeand said, “With the first step we take into Jannah.”